oposum!

[buford]

i had thought that i might have a skunk intersted in my bees, but i spotted the culprit a month ago.

i had been trying to experiment with top hive entrances, but the season was beginning and i didn't have time to modify some gear, so i took a short cut.

i cut some strips of rug tack and wedged it near the hive entrance. i had thought (for sure) that this would drive the bees crazy and that i would find some impaled bees on the spikes.

but, it doesn't seem to bother them at all. they just learn where the spikes are and walk right between them. there was even a hot day when counless bees completely covered the tacking, (and i think the oposum is gone).

however, i would like some other "long term" suggestions because i don't want to leave the tacking there (it's bowing now because of the rain).

[Michael Bush]

Top entrances are my solution. A raw egg with three crushed asprins might work on a possum. It works on a skunk. A .22 works well on a possum or a skunk. smile.gif

[buford]

i chose two of my hives to experiment with upper entrances (the weaker ones).

i blocked off the bottom for a while and left a shim (small notch) up top. i recently opened the botom and, now that the hive is alittle bigger, the bees are preferring that tiny little opening on top rather than the botom enterance.

one draw back i can see is that, when i want to go down into the brood chamber, all the foragers are flying in my face. before, i could work the brood chamber from behind the hive and the foragers hardly noticed what i was doing.

i also hollowed out a SBB and put it above the brood box (with the supers stacked above it). it seems that that was too much space because the bees didn't touch the supers at all (the ones with the shims are working the supers just fine).

i also don't know if i can take the tack away yet or not. guess i'll just do it and see what happens.

i'll try the egg before the gun (the egg is cheaper).

[buford]

there are cats that visit my area. if i smash up an egg with aspirin, is there a chance that it would kill the cats (will they eat the stuff)?

[Michael Bush]

>there are cats that visit my area. if i smash up an egg with aspirin, is there a chance that it would kill the cats

If they eat it, it will kill cats. It doesn't kill dogs.

> (will they eat the stuff)?

Who can figure a cat? Some are picky, some are not. What a cat thinks is food varies from cat to cat.

But it's the skunks (and possums) that hang out in front of the hives. smile.gif I'm not sure if the aspriegg will affect the possums or not.

[COUNT ZERO]

egg = cheaper
.22 = fun

My favorite firearm by far and I have many!- just stand up wind smile.gif

Brian

[Michael Bush]

>egg = cheaper

Three asprin (assuming you buy generic asprin) still probably cost a few cents. The egg (assuming you buy the cheap ones) is still at least a nickle. I buy .22s in bulk when I find them on sale and they are usually less than that. I haven't bought any lately but I'm sure I spend less than $0.08 a round.

But maybe you're taking into account buying the gun?

[drobbins]

what are you guy's talking about, will an aspirin kill a cat or a skunk?? :eek:

Who Knew?

Dave

ps, hmm, and won't kill a dog
might come in handy

[MichaelW]

If you don't want to wait for a sniper shot, or avoid stink from dead animals that have taken days to die from liver failure, do what I do. It also helps with ventilation and you don't have to bend over. Build a bench for your hives or otherwise find a way to get them up off the ground. Another option that is popular here is to take some of the stiff larger harware cloth cut it in a square and stuff a end under your hive bottom and one level of cinder blocks. The wire cloth extends out infront and to the sides of the entrance on the bottom board. you can bend up the sides to keep it stiff. The skunks don't like the wire and will stop visiting the hives. Seems like it should work for possums too. Skunks are a real problem here but these two methods work. The raised elevation is pretty much required here too. Guys with hundreds of hives do one of these methods too. Skunks will travel in packs.

[King bee apiary]

Just a comment,I saw the damage a opossum can do to a mating nuc,do what ever you have to before more move in to your area,Local breeder (bolling bees) lost about a dozen or so to them.Would knock them over and pull all the frames out and drag them through the woods,all comb destroyed.The last time I talked to him he was traping them and takeing them to another county,But I figure if you fix the hives/nucs from the start you don't have to worry with them.I plan on using straps to hold the tops and bottoms onto the nucs,if that doesn't work then I will raise them up.

[Dwight]

I raise mine up, if the skunks have to stand on thier hind legs to get at the hives the bees will sting their belly's. They don't bother the hives if they are a few inches off the ground.